Oakland council gives police chief, union another week to agree on boosting patrols

Christopher Heredia, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, March 14, 2006

(03-15) 15:40 PST OAKLAND -- The Oakland City Council, led by a man who has declared the city's mounting crime a "crisis," today gave Police Chief Wayne Tucker one more week hammer out an agreement with the Police Officers Association to get more officers on the street as soon as possible.

Despite its threat last week to declare a state of emergency if the two sides couldn't reach an accord by today, the council stopped short of taking that step -- which would have allowed Tucker to unilaterally implement a plan that rank-and-file officers oppose as both disruptive and ineffective. Although the declaration enjoyed some support, the council decided it would only deepen Oakland's reputation as a crime-ridden city.

Instead, the City Council voted 5-2 in favor of giving Tucker another week to work with the union and return in a week with a plan to increase the number of officers patrolling Oakland. The union said Monday that the talks were at an impasse.

"I'm not disappointed," Tucker said. "I've got direction from the council. We're in a crisis and we have to go back to the table. I'm hoping the union will listen to the council. I'm always optimistic when people sit down and talk."

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The issue has come to the fore as Oakland experiences a spike in violent crime. The city has recorded 26 homicides so far this year, nearly double the number seen in the same period last year. Assaults and rapes are have climbed, and residents from just about every corner of the city complain about slow responses to 911 calls.

Tucker's plan would place as many as 84 officers on the streets during the busiest periods, up from the 38 now on patrol at any given time. To do that, he wants to reassign 46 officers currently working daytime shifts or desk jobs to the busiest times of day.

But the Police Officers Association -- which represents every officer but the chief -- said that plan would run roughshod over officers' private lives while doing little to ease crime. Union negotiators over the weekend presented an alternate plan that would add 45 officers to patrol on Saturday nights and a 27-member tactical unit on Fridays and Saturdays.

In a statement today, Oakland Police Officers Association President Bob Valladon said he was "gratified" by the council's decision.

"OPOA has been working night and day to develop creative solutions to keep Oakland citizens safe. We believe that we are very close to an agreement, and we will continue to discuss any and all alternatives that will achieve these critical public safety goals."

Tucker said yesterday that he compromised at the bargaining table to bring the number of officers he'd like to have on patrol to 72. The union offered 64.

The question of how best to respond to a mounting crime rate Council President Ignacio De La Fuente deemed a "crisis" comes as the department grapples with a shortage of officers -- even after voters approved a new tax to finance hiring more cops and launching new crime prevention programs. De La Fuente did not attend last week's council meeting.

The City Council is partly to blame for the shortage by adopting citywide hiring freeze in 2002, which was lifted the next year but placed the Police Department at a disadvantage in replacing officers who retired. An average of three officers retires each month.

The problem is compounded by a nationwide shortage of qualified candidates to police academies.

Perhaps no one is under more pressure than Tucker to get a handle on the situation. Two weeks ago, he announced the formation of a special unit of 115 officers that would be based in East Oakland and deployed to crime hotspots as they appear throughout the city.

The 72 officers the chief is asking to reassign from desk jobs and day schedules comprise phase two of the chief's redeployment plan.

Last week, dozens of angry residents marched on City Hall to demand that the City Council move immediately to place more officers on the streets and improve response times to 911 calls. The council directed Tucker and the union to create a plan to boost patrols and threatened to declare a state of emergency if the two sides failed to reach an agreement. The Police Officers union later threatened to challenge any such declaration in court, should one be made.

De La Fuente, who is running mayor, said Monday that he was reluctant to endorse a state of emergency because it might further erode the city's image. Oakland will be on the national stage later this month when it hosts the NCAA men's basketball tournament regional championships.

"It's a very serious decision here," he said, criticizing fellow councilmember Desley Brooks -- who introduced the emergency resolution last week. "First, we need to really consider what would be the real impact of declaring a state of emergency. We have to consider the ramifications on the city which we're trying to revitalize and trying to bring back to life. We don't need to do this. There is still room for bargaining."

But Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, who is running against De La Fuente, said Tucker tried in vain to negotiate with the union, and she supported the emergency declaration because she does not believe the union should be dictating officers' schedules.

"We just want officers to be deployed to meet the needs of the citizens of Oakland," she said. "The chief should not be hamstrung so he can't deploy officers in a way that helps the public."

Councilman Larry Reid, chair of the council's Public Safety Committee, voted against the state of emergency, saying the two sides hadn't exhausted options for an agreement.

"There's gotta be give and take," he said, "There's still room for compromise."

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